Why does flatware.org exist? It's part of my personal campaign to get everyone to use flatware instead of only using their fingers. And not just any old flatware, but stuff you'll really like. It's a labor of love, several years in the making. Or really, several years of thinking about it and a few weeks of actually doing it. Are you ready to learn more about flatware and silverware than you ever wanted to know? Don't worry, there aren't any deep dark secrets, such as why you shouldn't order the chili at Wendy's. It's been over 20 years since I've worked there anyway, and I'm sure they've straightened things out by now. Instead of making you dig for the site map, I've put everything on the home page. There's a lot more below those links, so don't go rushing off just yet!

Sterling Silver Flatware		Stainless Steel Flatware		Silverplated Flatware - Coming soon!
The Basics		The Basics		The Basics
Why Would I Want It		Why Would I Want Good Stuff		How to Care For It
How to Care For It		How to Care For It		How It's Made
How It's Made		Who Makes This Stuff		Who Makes This Stuff
Who Makes This Stuff		Where Can I Buy It		Why Would I Want It
What Pieces Do I Need		Where Can I Sell Mine		Where Can I Buy It
Where Can I Buy It				Where Can I Sell Mine
Where Can I Sell Mine

You can start at the top, and jump to the next question from that page. If you don't know the difference between the three main types of flatware, I'll summarize it here before sending you stumbling down the wrong path. Sterling Silver Flatware - Also called Sterling Silverware, Sterling Silver, The Sterling, The Silver, or The Good Stuff. Federal law requires that companies who call their flatware "sterling" make sure that it contains at least 92.5% pure silver. The rest is usually copper, which gives it more strength. Pure silver is too soft to be used effectively as flatware, and forget about ever scooping ice cream with a pure silver spoon. Stainless Steel Flatware - While technically incorrect, just about everyone calls this "silverware" even though it doesn't contain any silver. We forgive you. Stainless steel is an alloy, made with raw materials including iron ore, limestone, coke, a smile, chromium, and sometimes nickel. There have been some reports of stainless steel being made without a smile, but the workers were probably drinking Pepsi. Silverplated Flatware - Also called Silverplate, The Silver, or The Good Stuff. Yes, it is often confused with its pricier sibling listed above. Silverplated flatware is made by taking a perfectly good stainless steel flatware pattern, then chemically bonding liquidified silver to it. The layers of silver are so thin, they are measured in microns. Most cheap silverplated flatware has between 2 to 5 microns of silverplating on it, while the most expensive silverplated flatware patterns have 60 microns. To make that easier to understand, a human hair is about 100 microns thick. Except the ones on top of my head, which have to be getting down to around 40 microns at my age.